And the Winner Is.......

Hello Ladies and thank you to all that entered our Holiday Blog and Facebook contest!  We officially have a winner.  Drum roll please...

Our winner is ERICA ELLIS!

Erica, congratulations, and thank you for spreading the word about our fabulous League and our blog!  We will present you with your winnings at the February General Meeting.

Ladies, continue to spread the word about our blog and league happenings through social media such as Facebook and Twitter!  We have a lot of exciting events coming up, including Fete du Cuvee and Brunch at the Bright Shawl. You and your friends won't want to miss them!

Join a Junior League....Make a Difference!

It's a fact, ladies: Junior League women make things happen. Even though we're a little past the beginning of the new year, why not add another resolution to that list of yours and JOIN the Junior League of San Antonio? Or, if you're already a member, why not resolve to bring a friend into JLSA?

Have you heard about all the benefits Junior League members experience? Here are a just a few:

*Improve the communities they live in
*Build leadership skills
*Make INSTANT friends that share the same passion of volunteering!
*Enjoy fun and productive networking opportunities
*Get to the attend the hottest, hippest, and most happening events around town all while making a difference
*Drink wine and shop (at Fete du Cuvee and Holiday Ole Market!)
*Sleep better at night (okay, that one hasn't been completely proven) :)

Right now, we are in our yearly membership drive to find new women to join our premier women's volunteer organization, where women work together to build a better community through leadership and community service. And we want YOU as a new member and an important part of our organization.

Now, if all those amazing benefits listed above didn't catch your eye, then are you a name dropper? If so, you're in luck, because by becoming part of JLSA, you have the opportunity to share a bond with some amazing women, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Sandra Day O'Connor, Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Nancy Reagan, Katherine Hepburn AND Shirley Temple. That's right - they were all Junior League women!  And, if you're looking for some big names in your own community, look no further than JLSA members Kara McCarthy Cleveland, VP and COO of Eureka Connect Research, and Emily Jones, COO of San Antonio Museum of Art. These two amazing ladies will be honored this Thursday at the Omni Hotel in San Antonio for receiving the "Top 40 Under 40 Business Leaders" award presented by the San Antonio Business Journal. 

Why not add your name to that stellar list of women TODAY?

Already a member? Then help spread the word through your own testimonials of events you have volunteered at and invite women you may know that would benefit from this exciting opportunity to make a difference.

For more information, contact Jane Mozingo, 2011-2012 Admissions Chair at admissions@jlsa.org

"Those who can do. Those who can do more volunteer!" ~ Author Unknown

The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions~This Weekend

Heather Russo, Met Opera Chair, along with her amazing team, has been working diligently to prepare for this weekend's auditions.


Here's a quick summary of what's going on this weekend, as well as some deep-rooted history on this placement and how important this partnership has been through the years for the Junior League of San Antonio.

The Metropolitan Opera National Council Southwest Region will celebrate its 53rd annual auditions with the Finals Concert held Sunday, January 15. This event will be at the Ruth Taylor Fine Arts Center on the campus of Trinity University. The public is invited and encouraged to attend at no charge to hear some of the most promising young singers in the world of opera. Curtain time is 2 p.m.

Attending the Met Opera regionals is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear national and international talent compete in this year's competition. These rising stars offer an exciting performance before a panel of three distinguished judges. On hand for this year's competition will be Scott Altman, General Director for the Arizona Opera, Bruce Stasnya, Young Artist Program Director for the Palm Beach Opera and Gayletha Nichols, Executive Director of the MONC. Singers will be accompanied by Thomas Jaber, Professor of Music at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music.

The Southwest Region winner announced at the end of the performance will receive coaching from the Metropolitan Opera's artistic staff, and then compete at the National Semifinal Auditions at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in March. The Grand Finalist named at that competition will perform on the stage of the Met with full orchestra before an audience eagerly anticipating the professional birth of future worldwide opera stars.

These auditions have produced more than 35 national finalists, with many joining the permanent roster of singers at the Met.  JLSA members are especially fortunate, because we've had the opportunity to enjot their stellar performances at our General Meetings!

This tradition of the MONC Southwest Region auditions in San Antonio began in 1959 with Margaret Batts Tobin.  One of San Antonio's strongest arts philanthropists, Mrs. Tobin was pivotal in developing the National Councils regional auditions program to identify and develop top operatic talent throughout the United States.  Mrs. Tobin was a very active and involved member of our Junior League and she helped establish the auditions program right her in San Antonio, as well as create that strong partnership with the league, recruitment of volunteers, and awareness of this program.

We hope you can spend part of the long holiday weekend at the Finals Concert and feel like you are in the audience of the Met in New York City. Who knows - you might actually be hearing one of their future stars!
(Thank you to Kim Biffle, Publicity Chair. For more information Kim can be reached at 210-573-0684)